To Stop A Threat
by Kaz Rettop
Summary: A story about a possible turning point in the war.  Some language and violence.


"Naruto, this mission you are about to receive is of vital importance to the War. If you succeed it could very well mean victory for us. However, if you fail, it could spell disaster for us all." Tsunade explained.

Naruto was in the Hokage's office with Shikamaru, Sakura, Sai and Hinata.

"Yeah, yeah, I know Granny."

"Well then, if you know how important it is, stop taking it so lightly!"

"I know you wouldn't give me anything to valuable to the war, I'm too much of an asset."

"Listen, I'm sorry about the bogus animal thing..."

"I don't care! You made it perfectly clear that I am to stay out of this War while the grown-ups handle it. I don't have any control something might go horribly wrong."

"We've decided to give you this mission to make up for our mistake! We should have used you. You have enough control of the monster inside of you to be a valuable _weapon_ to this world."

"So, now I'm just a weapon to be used, huh? A tool of war?"

"Fine, if you don't want this mission you can stay here. Just know that without you, your friends here may die."

"Naruto, stop being a selfish brat and accept the mission." Shikamaru chimed in.

"Oh, _I'm_ being selfish? Who was it who sent me on a bogus mission simply to get me _out of the way._"

"Naruto, I have told you that was a mistake on my part." Tsunade said.

"If you would choose to give me a mission intended to keep me out of the way why would you make such a drastic change and send me to the front line? Answer that granny!"

"Because, I feel like I need to make that up to you."

"Don't give me that bull..."

"Naruto, I...I would really like you to come with us..." Hinata said.

Naruto looked over at Hinata.

"Why?"

"I...I've already...told you...why. When...when...Pain attacked you."

Naruto thought back and remembered what she'd said to him.

_"I'm not afraid. I will protect you because I love you."_

"I'm sorry Hinata, I'd forgotten."

"It's...okay."

Hinata smiled.

"Fine, I'll go. But if this is another bogus mission, I think I might just go the way of Sasuke."

"That's good to hear Naruto. Now that everyone's agreed to go, we can brief you on the details. Kakashi, do you have the details?"

"I do."

Kakashi sets down his book (you know the type.)

"What are you reading now? Jiraiya's dead!"

"Yeah, but he wasn't the only author of his type, was he? Now, the mission details, The five of you are being sent on a secret mission to track down and kill Madara Uchiha. He has recently been known to use the alias Tobi."

"Tobi? That orange-masked freak from Akatsuki?" Sakura said.

"Funny you should refer to _him_ as the freak from Akatsuki but yes, him. His current whereabouts are currently unknown but, we do know that he is looking for Naruto. Wander through the wilderness and he will find you."

"You want him to find _us?" _Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes, there really is no other way to go about it. We have no idea where he is. The only intel we have that is of use is that he is after you...and that he can teleport."

"_TELEPORT?" _Naruto exclaimed.

"Yes, Naruto...will you let me finish?" Naruto sits down. "Thank you, now we must hurry. This mission could very well end the war."

"We'll leave immediately." Shikamaru said.

The five ninja leave the Hokage's office and head off.

"Which way should we head?" Naruto asked.

"Towards the enemy's forces." Shikamaru replied.

"Why?"

"That's most likely where Madara is."

"But, I'm right here." Madara says.

"Wha...oof!"

Naruto's lapse in concentration caused him to run headlong into a tree.

Madara pounces on him before he has a chance to move.

"Naruto!" Shikamaru began to run towards him.

"Don't move, or I'll kill him!"

Shikamaru stops.

Madara raises a hand, makes a claw-like hand movement and drives it into Naruto's stomach.

"AAAAH!"

Naruto's scream is slightly muffled as blood flies out of his mouth.

"Naruto! N-no..." Hinata sobbed.

"He'll be fine...for now." Madara said.

"What the hell does that mean!" Sai shouted.

"It means that he'll be fine, until the Nine-Tails decides to leave him. Then it'll kill everyone."

"You bastard!"

Shikamaru rushes forward towards him. Madara throws Naruto at him. Hinata tries to hit him with 8 trigrams, 64 palms but Madara goes intangible. Hinata uses her Byakugan to see which chakra points on him he uses to go intangible. She retreats, Madara becomes tangible again as Shikamaru grabs hold with the Shadow Possession Jutsu. Hinata hits his chakra points. Naruto hits him with a Rasengan.

"DIE!"

When the smoke clears, Madara is gone. In his place a piece of paper.

"What's it say?"

"..." Shikamaru reads it and gets a grim expression. "Wrong ones, sweetheart."

"I saw them with my Byakugan! I hit the right chakra points!"

"Get down!"

Shikamaru dives and tackles her. The note explodes

"It was written on a paper tag. And I think he teleported, you hit the points that made him intangible."

"Oh, I thought I got enough of them."

"Damn it. Are you all right, Naruto?"

"Yeah, I feel fine."

Naruto looks at the seal marking on his stomach. As he looks at is it fades away.

"What does this mean?" Naruto asked.

"It means, that you're a ticking time bomb. And when it goes off..." Shikamaru began

"Everyone dies..." Naruto finished. "I don't believe it! There is no way he could have undone the seal."

"But, he did."

"I don't believe it, the markings have vanished, it doesn't mean anything!"

"For now, we need to return to Konoha."

The five return to Konoha. They report to Tsunade.

"YOU FAILED! It's over. We've lost."

"Not necessarily, there were no casualties." Naruto said.

"Naruto, you cannot deny what happened." Sai said

"NOTHING HAPPENED!" Naruto shouted.

"What happened, Sai?" Tsunade asked.

"Madara ambushed us...well, Naruto and broke the seal on the Nine-Tails."

"WHAT? How are you still alive?" Tsunade asked.

"It didn't leave me. It's still sealed inside."

"Sai just said the seal was broken."

"He's overblowing it. Yes, Madara weakened the seal. It _is_ still intact."

"Are you sure."

"...yes."

"Why did you hesitate?"

"I don't know what it looks like when a seal breaks, I just know that the Nine-Tails isn't going to stay trapped inside me for longer than it has to. If the seal was broken it would have left."

Naruto was wrong, however. Very, very wrong. And over the next several weeks, he came to realize this.

It started a few days later, when he had the first stomach ache. He was sitting at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop with Hinata. He is eating whatever ramen the owner gives him she is eating zenzai.

"Naruto, are you all right?"

"Y-Yeah. I'll be fine. I think I've just eaten too much..."

But the stomach aches persisted. He began to have them daily and sometimes even more than one a day.

"Naruto, I really think...think that you should go see Sakura."

"I'm fine, Hinata."

"No, I don't think you are...you've been having stomach aches too often. I think it has something to do with what Madara did."

"I'm fine, it's just...food poisoning...that's it...food poisoning..."

"For a month? I don't think food poisoning lasts that long."

"Fine, I'll go see Sakura..."

Naruto leaves and keeps his word, heading over towards Sakura's. However, along the way, Madara intervenes.

"How's your stomach?"

"You bastard!"

Naruto turns to run, finding Neji up the street.

"You cannot run from me, Naruto!" Madara yelled.

Madara grabs hold of Naruto and teleports away.

"Hinata, come on! Naruto's in trouble!"

"I told him to go to Sakura's! How did he get into trouble?"

"Madara took him."

They both activate their Byakugan.

"There, he teleported over there!"

They both run towards where the chakra trail ends.

"It is time to release the Nine-Tails, Naruto...I think I'll kill your girlfriend first!"

"I don't have a girlfriend!"

"Could've fooled me...enough talk, it's time for you to die and for me to rein triumpant."

He does the same claw-like technique from before.

"AHHH!"

"What've you done, you...bastard!" Hinata shouted, tears welling up in her eyes.

"It's finished. The end of the world is nigh. Enjoy!"

Neji rushes forward but Madara knocks him back. Neji hits his head hard on a nearby tree and is rendered unconscious.

"It's too late, you've lost. Just accept your fate!"

He teleports away.

"N-N-Naruto!"

Hinata falls down next to him and holds him in her arms.

"Hinata...you...you...you have to...kill me!" Naruto said weakly.

"How can you ask such a thing of me? I could never harm you!"

"You have to, if you don't everyone will die!"

"I-I don't care!"

"So, you want to be remembered as the one who let Armageddon come?"

"N-N-No..."

"Then you don't have a choice...kill me."

"I...I..."

"Enough arguing...you...have to do it...now."

Hinata activates her Byakugan and finds the center of Naruto's chakra network.

"I will always love you, Naruto."

"I know, and Hinata."

"What?"

"I've come to love you too..."

Hinata smiles and thrusts her hand into his chest, severing his chakra flow and stopping Naruto's heartbeat.

"I-I did it...I killed...him..."

She begins to sob hysterically. Neji wakes up and pries her off of Naruto.

"Let him go, Hinata. He is gone."

"I know...I did it..."

"What?"

"He told me to! The fox was going to escape so he made me kill him! I had no choice..."

"Let's get back to the village. You need to be around the rest of your friends right now."

Neji took Hinata back to the village. She does not, however go to her friends. She goes to her residence and locks herself inside. A few weeks later, no one has heard from her.

"Hinata, it's Neji. I'm just here to check on you."

"Leave me alone!"

"You've been locked in there for weeks, Hinata. You need to talk to someone!"

"No!"

"Hinata, you can't stay in there forever."

"AHHH!"

"You're right, she can't!"

"MADARA! YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!"

"Hahahahahahahahaha! Try and stop me!"

Neji breaks down the door and finds the room inside completely empty.

"AHHH!"

Shikamaru runs past Neji.

"Come on, Neji, they're on top of the monument!"

Shikamaru and Neji are quickly joined by Kiba, Ino, Shino, and Choji.

"We've got to hurry!"

"What does he want with Hinata?"

Meanwhile, on top of the monument...

"What happened to Naruto!"

"I killed him..."

"WHAT? You bitch! You've destroyed the fox!"

"I know, that was the whole point."

"I'LL KILL YOU!"

Madara goes to take a swing at Hinata but, something stops it.

"Don't...touch her!"

"Naruto!"

"How? You told me you killed him!"

"I...I...I thought...I did..."

"Let me explain, yes, Hinata did try and kill me on my orders. However, what she didn't see with her Byakugan was that at the last second I let my temper go, releasing the fox. She hit the fox, not me. It had only had enough time to partially escape so when she hit it it was weak. The nine-tails has been destroyed, as has Akatsuki's goal!"

"That may be so, but there are other ways of taking over the world. You realize how much difficulty your allies are having fighting this war? The only thing that got them anything was your power. But, now that you no longer have the power of the nine-tails inside you, you're powerless!"

"No, my physical strength may have been diminished but, I still have my friends. That's where true strength comes from, friendship and love."

"HA! Don't give me that mushy shit! All of your friends are just as weak as you are!"

"Well, there's that but there is the proven advantage of numbers..."

Madara turns around and sees Ino, Shino, Choji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Gaara standing behind him.

"Oh, look. I was so hoping to execute an all out massacre. You've even saved me the trouble of tracking you all down!"

He tries to move, Shikamaru has used the Shadow Possession Jutsu.

"Let me go, you son of a bitch!"

"Ninja Wolfsbane!"

Ino throws several flowers at Madara, paralyzing him. Kabuto arrives.

"Ha...now, you're...in for it!"

Kabuto turns to look at Madara.

"I was _never_ on your side. I only serve my own purposes!"

Gaara begins to cover Madara in sand.

"I'll kill you! This isn't the end! You will all pay! I will not die, you'll see! I will return! I will rule!"

Gaara finishes covering him in sand.

"It's over, worthless scum! Sand Funeral!"

The sand implodes, sending blood flying in all directions. Madara's mask falls to the ground.

"It really is over...He's gone..."

Naruto walks over to Hinata.

"Hinata, I'm sorry I didn't tell you what I was planning on that day."

"It's okay, Naruto. I'm just happy to see you alive..."

"It's not okay...I know what I put you through. I played with your emotions and that's never okay...for any reason."

Hinata wraps her arms around Naruto's neck and kisses him.

"I told you. I'm just happy you're alive. That makes it right."

Naruto smiles. He kisses Hinata again.


End file.
